1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a card edge connector, and particularly to a card edge connector having ejector mechanisms for ejection of an inserted card therefrom.
2. Description of Related Art
Card edge connectors are used in computers and other electronic devices for establishing an electrical connection between a main printed circuit board (usually called a mother board) and a card (usually called a daughter board). Referring to FIG. 4, a conventional card edge connector 1xe2x80x2 comprises an insulative housing 2xe2x80x2, a plurality of terminals 3xe2x80x2 retained in the housing 2xe2x80x2 for electrically connecting with a card 5xe2x80x2, and a pair of ejector mechanisms 4xe2x80x2 pivotally attached to opposite ends of the housing 2xe2x80x2 for ejection of the card 5xe2x80x2 from the connector 1xe2x80x2. Each ejector mechanism 4xe2x80x2 includes a body portion 40xe2x80x2, an abutment 42xe2x80x2 at one end of the body portion 40xe2x80x2, and a handle 45xe2x80x2 at an opposite end of the body portion 40xe2x80x2. The body portion 40xe2x80x2 has a pair of pivots 400xe2x80x2 formed on opposite sides thereof for engaging with a corresponding pair of holes 212xe2x80x2 defined in the housing 2xe2x80x2. The body portion 40xe2x80x2 also defines a channel 46xe2x80x2 having a certain wide width for providing sufficient flexibility to facilitate mounting of the ejector mechanism 4xe2x80x2 to the housing 2xe2x80x2. The channel 46xe2x80x2 is equal in width along a longitudinal axis thereof. To eject the card 5xe2x80x2 from the connector 1xe2x80x2, an external force is exerted on the handles 45xe2x80x2 to rotate outwardly the ejector mechanisms 4xe2x80x2 about the pivots 400xe2x80x2. During the rotation of the ejector mechanisms 4xe2x80x2, the abutments 42xe2x80x2 push the card 5xe2x80x2 to move upwardly until the card 5xe2x80x2 is completely ejected from the terminals 3xe2x80x2 of the connector 1xe2x80x2.
However, the abutment-to-pivot distance is smaller than the handle-to-pivot distance, which results in a relatively small moment arm. According to the principle of leverage, the smaller the moment arm is, the larger the force is. Therefore, when ejecting the card 5xe2x80x2 from the connector 1xe2x80x2, a relatively large force is applied to a lower body portion located between the pivot 400xe2x80x2 and the abutment 42xe2x80x2. Because the width of the channel 46xe2x80x2 is large, the mechanical strength of the lower body portion is weak due to its reduced thickness. As a result, the lower body portion of the ejector mechanism 4xe2x80x2 is easy to be broken during the process of ejecting the card 5xe2x80x2.
Hence, a card edge connector with improved ejector mechanisms is required to overcome the disadvantages of the related art.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a card edge connector having improved ejector mechanisms, the ejector mechanism having large mechanical strength for preventing breakage.
In order to achieve the object set forth, a card edge connector in accordance with the present invention comprises an insulative housing defining a slot for receiving a daughter board therein and a plurality of terminal-receiving passageways each in communication with the slot, a plurality of terminals received in the passageways each including a mating portion extending into the slot for electrical connection with the daughter board and a tail portion extending beyond a mounting face of the housing for electrical connection with a motherboard, and a pair of ejector mechanisms pivotally, attached to the housing. Each ejector mechanism includes a body portion, a handle at one end of the body portion, and an abutment at an opposite end of the body portion. The body portion defines a channel between the handle and the abutment to divide the body portion into a first and a second body portions. A lower section of each of the first body portion and the second body portion has a larger thickness than that of an upper section thereof.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.